The invention generally relates to golf clubs, specifically a golf putter. Numerous golf putters have been designed since the game was invented at least 500 years ago. The goal of every putter design is to provide a natural, accurate, and an easily swung club that has excellent feel and a large sweet spot on the head of the putter for striking the golf ball. All of these features assist the golfer in the mechanics involved in putting and execution of a putt thereby increasing the chance that the golfer will make a successful putt. There have been a great variety of patents on golf ball putters and golf ball putter heads.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,088 to Matthews, entitled xe2x80x9cGolf Putter Head,xe2x80x9d is directed toward a putter head specifically having a narrow length to minimize sidespin and stubbing. The putter head also has a negative loft striking face with a center of gravity above the midpoint of the striking face. The small size of the striking face makes it difficult to strike the ball squarely. Moreover, since the center of gravity of the putter head is above the midpoint of the striking face, the negative loft (topspin) induced by the head is not optimized and the feel of the putter is poor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,633 to Studen, entitled xe2x80x9cGolf Putterxe2x80x9d is directed toward a golf putter with a putter head with a conventional handle shaft attached to a proximal end thereof. The putter head striking face has two slanted segments. A weight is disposed in a recess formed upwardly into the bottom of the head. The weight of the head and the conventional handle shaft combine to form a putter that does not have an easy feel to the golfer. The distal end of the putter head extends out very far from the golfer, creating unnatural stress on the golfer""s shoulder muscles, which causes variations in swing from putt to putt. This makes accurate putting very difficult. Consequently, there is a significant need for a putter with a specifically designed head and shaft combination that provides a comfortable, replicable swing, that also provides accurate alignment and a large sweet spot on the putter head.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a golf putter includes a shaft having a handle end and a putter head end wherein the handle end and the putter head end of the shaft are at an angle from between about 10 degrees to about 12 degrees to one another, a putter head of a first density having a ball striking side, a rear side, two ends, two upwardly extending ears each having at least one golf ball guide receiving slot, a top surface, a bottom surface, a top half and a bottom half, at least one golf ball guide positioned within the golf ball guide receiving slots, at least one weight having a second density where the second density is greater than the first density of the putter head wherein the weight is positioned within the putter head thereby lowering the center of gravity of the putter head below the center of the putter head, and wherein the top surface of the putter head includes a shaft receiving recess adapted to receive the putter head end of the shaft.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the golf putter includes a shaft having a handle end and an at least partially threaded putter head end wherein the handle end and the putter head end of the shaft are at a shaft angle from about 10 degrees to about 20 degrees to one another, a putter head of a first density having a ball striking side, a rear side, two ends, two upwardly extending ears each having at least one golf ball guide receiving slot, a top surface, a bottom surface, a top half and a bottom half wherein the ball striking side of the putter extends upward from the bottom surface at an angle of 89-86 degrees from the bottom surface thereby creating an angle that imparts top spin to a golf ball when stuck by the ball striking side of the putter head, at least one golf ball guide positioned within the golf ball guide receiving slots, a weight receiving channel positioned longitudinally in the bottom half of the putter head, a weight having a second density where the second density is greater than the first density of the putter head wherein the weight is within the channel thereby lowering the center of gravity of the putter head below the center of the putter head, and wherein the top surface of the putter head includes a recess adapted to receive and interact with the putter head end of the shaft.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a golf putter comprises a shaft having a handle end and an at least partially threaded putter head end wherein the handle end and the putter head end of the shaft are at a shaft angle from about 10 degrees to about 12 degrees to one another, a putter head of a first density having a first ball striking side, a second ball striking side opposite the first ball striking side, two ends, two upwardly extending ears each having at least one golf ball guide receiving slot, a top surface, a bottom surface, a top half and a bottom half wherein the first and second ball striking sides of the putter extend upward from the bottom surface at an angle of 89-86 degrees from the bottom surface thereby creating an angle that imparts top spin to a golf ball when stuck by either the ball striking side of the putter head thereby allowing the same putter to be used by either a left or right handed golfer, at least one golf ball guide positioned within the golf ball guide receiving slots, a weight receiving channel positioned longitudinally in the bottom half of the putter head, a weight having a second density where the second density is greater than the first density of the putter head, wherein the weight is within the channel thereby lowering the center of gravity of the putter head below the center of the putter head, and wherein the top surface of the putter head includes a recess adapted to receive and interact with the putter head end of the shaft.
These and other features, advantages and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be used as a basis for designing other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims are regarded as including such equivalent constructions as far as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the Abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with the patent or legal terms of phraseology, to learn quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. Accordingly, the Abstract is intended to define neither the invention nor the application, which is only measured by, the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
The fundamental aspects of the invention, along with the various features and structures that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the negative loft fulcrum-balanced putter assembly of the present disclosure, its advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
While embodiments of the golf putter assembly are herein illustrated and described, it is to be appreciated that various changes, rearrangements and modifications may be made therein, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.